2022 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

Race Notes:

• The 2022 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was 90 laps on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course totaling 207 miles.
• The pit road speed was 50 mph and the race was to start the third time by the flag stand with pole sitter Rinus VeeKay gridded on drivers' left. However, the initial start was waved off forcing the first lap to be run under caution.
• The fuel window was 26–29 laps under green-flag conditions assuming a two-stop strategy.
• All cars but those of Josef Newgarden, Colton Herta, Will Power, Conor Daly, Dalton Kellett, Simon Pagenaud and Tatiana Calderon will start on the red-sidewalled alternate tires. Each car must use one set of new alternate (red) tires and one set of primary (black) tires during the race.
• Ten minutes before the green flag, the ambient temperature in Birmingham, Alabama was 75 degrees with sunny skies. The track temperature was 108 degrees according to Firestone Racing engineers.
• At 12:08 p.m. CDT, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow gave the command to start engines. All engines fired and all cars rolled off the grid.
• Following the false start and one lap of caution, VeeKay led the field to the green flag and maintained the lead through the opening segment of the race.
• On Lap 32, the race's only full-course caution flag was thrown for the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of Callum Ilott. The rookie driver spun off course in Turn 9 causing his race car to become stuck in gravel. Due to being on an alternate pit stop strategy, leaders under caution were Josef Newgarden, Colton Herta, VeeKay, Romain Grosjean and Pato O'Ward.
• The caution proved untimely for those drivers on alternate strategies, prompting them to pit under yellow and effectively returning to the same pit stop sequence as the leaders despite having already pitted 20 laps prior.
• VeeKay regained the lead under caution and led the field on the restart. The Dutch driver continued to hold an advantage over the field until bring passed by O'Ward on Lap 62.
• O'Ward went on to dominate the remainder of the race, leading from Lap 64 until the checkered flag.
• Holding a 1.3502-second advantage when he took the white flag, O'Ward crossed the finish line 0.9800 seconds ahead of Alex Palou.
• The second-place finish for Palou vaulted the Chip Ganassi Racing driver to the points lead.
• Unofficial points after the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama:
  1. Palou 144
  2. McLaughlin 141 (-3)
  3. Newgarden 135 (-9)
  4. Power 134 (-10)
  5. O'Ward 114 (-30)
  6. Dixon 113 (-31)
  7. VeeKay 106 (-38)
  8. Grosjean 101 (-43)
     

Session Notes:

• Final practice started on time at 4:20 p.m. CDT and was scheduled for a 30-minute duration.
• The session was slowed by a single red flag for for the No. 11 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet of Tatiana Calderon, which went off track at Turn 2 and required assistance from the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team.
• Callum Ilott, driver of the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, ended the session with the fastest lap: 1:07.0960.
  

Session Notes:

• Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award consists of three segments. In the first round, each group receives 10 minutes of track time. The fastest six cars from each group advance to Round 2 while the remaining cars are assigned positions 13 to 26. Group 1 drivers will occupy the odd-numbered positions while Group 2 drivers will occupy the even-numbered positions based on their fastest lap times. During Round 2, the 12 advancing cars receive 10 minutes of track time with the fastest six advancing to the Firestone Fast Six while the remaining cars are ranked in positions seven through 12 based on their fastest laps. During the Firestone Fast Six, the six cars receive six minutes of guaranteed green-flag time. At the end of session, cars are ranked one through six based on their fastest laps.
• At the start of qualifying, the ambient temperature in Birmingham, Alabama was 78 degrees. The track temperature was 115 degrees according to Firestone Racing engineers.
• Groups 1 and 2 ran largely without incident, although David Malukas did run off course at the conclusion of Group 2 qualifying. The No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda made contact with the Turn 15 barrier.
• Round 2's only issue came at the end of the session, when the No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of Marcus Ericsson spun off course at Turn 8 and stopped in the gravel.
• Pato O'Ward, Scott McLaughlin, Alexander Rossi, Felix Ronsenqvist, Rinus VeeKay and Alex Palou competed in the Firestone Fast Six for the NTT P1 Award.
• VeeKay ended the session with the fastest lap: 1:06.2507. The achievement marked VeeKay's second NTT IndyCar Series pole. His first came at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in October 2020.
  

Session Notes:

• Like the first practice session of the weekend on Friday afternoon, Practice 2 began on time at 9 a.m. CDT. The 45-minute session was allotted one hour of track time, allowing the clock to be stopped for red flags as long as the stoppages did not exceed 15 minutes.
• The session was interrupted by two red flags:
  • At 10:13 a.m., the No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda of Alexander Rossi ran wide and made contact with the wall in Turn 17. The No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda of Helio Castroneves made right front contact with debris from the incident. Rossi was able to exit his race car without assistance from the AMR IndyCar Safety Team. The need for extensive cleanup led to a 22-minute red flag period, exceeding the 15-minute buffer and forcing the clock to start counting down. The session resumed at 10:32 a.m. with 27 minutes remaining.
  • At 10:47 a.m., the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet of Will Power slid off course and into the gravel at Turn 7. The car was retrieved and the session resumed five minutes later with seven minutes left on the clock.
• Following the checkered flag, a 1:05.9264 turned by Rinus VeeKay in the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet was the fastest lap of the session.
  

Session Notes:

• The first practice session for the 2022 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park began on time at 3 p.m. CDT and continued without incident, completing its 45 minutes of track time without interruption despite being allotted one full hour on the weekend schedule.
• Andretti Autosport's Colton Herta ended Practice 1 with the fastest lap, a 1:06.5149 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.